She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
by Mrs. Malerie Cullen
Summary: Malerie is a photographer who is trying to find her way. She meets a soldier Taylor who has just ended his four year contract. What happens when they fall in love and something life changing could tear them apart. story is before September 11th 2001


I shoved my carryon bag into the over head department above my seat. The humming sound of the airplane was bound to give me a headache. I was on a twelve hour flight from Germany to New York. I had spent the past month in Germany photographing the latest fashion trends and the scenery, it was fun but I was ready to get back to my roots in New York.

I was a city girl at heart but was raised in a small town called Old Orchard Beach, located in Maine. I loved everything about Maine. The ocean breeze and summer months spent running through town with my best friends, the sand beneath my feet.

I smiled at the thought.

I sat down in my outside seat and pulled out my phone. I had twenty-seven unread messages. I scrolled down the list of messages which all seemed to be from my mother. It was July meaning my family would be expecting a visit soon.

I clicked on the first message.

_Malerie_

_Oh I can't wait to see u this summer. Mom is sure looking forward to it. My belly keeps getting bigger, soon enough we will have a new little addition to the family. Be safe and be sure to call. _

_Talk to you soon._

_Love, your sister,_

_Isabell_

I smiled.

My sister was due in a month and she was looking forward to it. I was happy that my sister had settled down and started a family. She stayed in Maine too, which sometimes made me wonder if I had made the right choice.

My childhood has always been about the future for me. I always had dreams of moving to New York and making a future in photography. Which all worked out for me. I have a good steady job working for some of the top magazines and I get to travel a lot.

I dropped my phone into my shoulder bag and laid my head back.

The pilot's voice came on the intercom.

_Please fasten your seatbelts, we will be taking of shortly. We are expected to land at JFK airport in about 12 hours, 14 if there are weather complications. _

He repeated himself four more times in any language you could imagine.

I closed my eyes trying to find a way to make it through the long flight ahead of me.

I felt a tap on the shoulder.

I opened my eyes slowly to see a stalky man standing over me. His deep, beautiful, blue eyes were looking down at me.

"Excuse me ma'am but I have the seat beside you." he said.

His voice was like magic. It had an edge to it but still showed that he was still was soft.

My heart raced a little.

His caramel colored hair was shaved down to his roots, and his distinct jaw line made him seem mature.

My eyes finally reached the rest of his body only to notice he was dressed in camouflage suit. My eyes looked to his chest and scanned the two patches.

The one on the right read _U.S. Army._ The one on the left read _Lawson. _

He was in the Military.

"Um, Yeah sorry." I let the words stumble out of my mouth making me sound like an idiot.

He grinned a little.

I stood up and stepped off to the side letting him slide in.

I sat back down and let my eyes wonder around. I was trying to avoid staring at him.

He was just so gorgeous. I knew it sounded crazy to think this about someone you just met but it was the truth.

His skin was a perfect bronze color, he obviously was out in the sun a lot, he had achieved the tan I had been trying to get since I was sixteen.

I went against my better judgment and stole a glance towards him. He was looking out the window. His arms were crossed stiffly and he tapped his feet to the rhythm of the plane humming.

His lips were a light pink color and very full for a man. I felt like a sick stalker staring at him this way.

He dropped his arms at his side and kept his foot tapping. He turned towards me and I moved my head a little, making it seem like I wasn't staring at him, although I know that he caught me looking.

"I'm Taylor." He said extending his somewhat shaking hand towards me.

I smiled.

"I'm Malerie." I replied.

He smiled back, letting his dimples show perfectly on the corners of his mouth. My heart fluttered a little bit.

"Nice to meet you." he said.

I nodded.

"I'm sorry if I'm a little shaken up." he said. "I don't like flying." his voice cracked a little.

He was cute.

I laughed a little.

"You're in the Army and you don't like flying?" I teased.

He grinned.

"Guess so." he said. "My father used to taunt my about it. Course he was an Army Veteran." he laughed.

I smiled.

"Are you going home to see family?" I asked him.

"I actually just ended my four year contract." he said. "For right now I'm done unless I decide to reenlist."

"Oh." I said. "You must be happy."

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Most think of it as a job to protect our country and they can't wait to get home and be done with it." he said. "But I think of it as a duty to protect my country."

I got goose bumps as he talked.

"I guess that it is predictable for me to say that." he said.

"Don't you miss your family?" I asked.

"I don't have a spouse or children but I do have my parents and my friends." he said.

"How long were you in Germany?" I asked.

"About four months." he said. "I was in Afghanistan for a little over three and a half years."

"Wow." I said.

"What about you?" he asked.

"I'm a photographer." I said. "Mostly for magazines and in the fashion world. I've been in Germany for only 2 and half months."

He laughed a little.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." he said, with a smile. "You just say it like you hate what you do."

"It's not that I hate it's just it seems like once you start something and go from small to big it seems like you lose what you used to love about it. It's like everyone is pulling you in every direction and you lose yourself." I said.

I looked up at him and he was listening to me. His blue eyes made it hard for me to breathe or function.

"When I first started photography I remember just going to the beach. Every day I would walk out the door and onto the sand and just sit and take pictures of people and the things around me. Nature." I smiled.

He grinned.

"I just loved to take pictures of things and places I loved. When I decided to make it my career in the fashion world it became stressful." I said. " I loved it at first but then it turned into what I didn't enjoy." I said. "I hardly get to see my family and friends and it does get lonely."

He nodded.

"I mean I'm sure you know what I'm talking about but it is only worse for you."

"In what way?" he asked.

I turned towards him and let my brown eyes look into his.

"Because I have the choice to leave it all behind and go back to what I love. You don't." I said. "Well at least until your contract is up."

"Yeah." he said. "That is about right."

The plane started to move and soon it was running down the runway.

He crossed his arms stiffly.

I laughed to myself.

He turned and looked at me. He had a smile.

"You think this is funny?" he said.

I nodded while still laughing.

"What did the last person you sat next to say?" I asked over the roar of the plane.

"Well." he said. "The last person didn't say a thing but asked to change their seat." he laughed.

I couldn't help but smile.

He was clutching the arm rest as we went higher and higher into the air.

He laughed a deep laugh and I felt myself smiling over and over again.

I hadn't been this happy since the last time I had seen my family.

We had talked some more about childhood memories and anything that came to mind. The sky was dark when we looked around to see most passengers asleep and annoyed by our excessive talking.

We both started to laugh quietly.

"Well Malerie." he said. "I think we might be disturbing fellow passengers."

I smiled and grabbed the complimentary pillow from the back of the chair in front of me. He did the same.

"Good night Taylor." I said. to him as I rested my head on the lumpy pillow.

"Good night Malerie." he replied.

I let myself fall asleep smiling. I had just met someone that had made my day ten times better. Someone whom I knew nothing about that could change my world. I had just met a soldier.

* * *

So let me know what you think i promise the next chapters will be longer but this is my first! Hope you like it :D PLease Reveiw : )


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